Evan Vickers had taken every precaution to prevent the unthinkable from happening. Days before...
In 2017, Ana Reyes’s life was “really good.”
She had spent two decades guiding young minds as an elementary school teacher in New Haven. After she retired, she found a new purpose as administrative pastor at her husband’s church, Good Shepherd Ministries, a thriving, multicultural congregation in West Haven.
But a few days after she returned from a weeks-long mission trip to Cuba, the then-43-year-old noticed a “weird” lump on her ankle. Within a month, she was diagnosed with myxoid liposarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer.
After enduring three years of chemotherapy and radiation, numerous infections, and six surgeries in the hopes of saving her leg, Ana was confident that she had finally beat cancer.
“But the doctor came in and said, ‘You don’t have one tumor … you now have two.’”
With few other options, Ana made the difficult decision to schedule surgery for a leg amputation.
An unexpected passion, a crushing diagnosis
Ana came to Gaylord Specialty Healthcare physician services for a prosthetic evaluation and to help manage her phantom pain. One day, as she was waiting for her appointment, she spied a brochure for the Gaylord Sports Association, Connecticut’s largest adaptive sports program. She remembers being instantly intrigued.
“I called and asked how can I get involved? And what I have found is that I am really good at adaptive golf! I also love archery, boccia, and kayaking. It’s so good to spend time with people who have the same challenges. It’s been a blessing and sometimes, I don’t want to leave,” she gushes.
In March of 2021, Ana found herself at a crossroads. The pain lingered, the memories of endless procedures haunted her, and then came a diagnosis she did not expect: PTSD.
“I thought I was strong,” Ana said. “But after all I had been through, hearing that I had PTSD was overwhelming.”
The community she found in adaptive sports, along with support from her Gaylord counselor Kristin Kiczuk, helped her regain a sense of purpose.
But Ana knew her journey wasn’t just about her own healing. She became a fierce advocate, reaching out to other amputees to offer encouragement and share resources. “Every time I see someone with an amputation, I stop and talk to them. I let them know they’re not alone.”
The next chapter
Ana also felt called to share her story in a bigger way. Though hesitant at first, an unexpected encounter at a diner changed everything. A woman approached her, saying, “The Lord gave me a word for you: Write a book. This book is not for you; it’s for others.”
That message stayed with Ana. She recently poured her experiences into Still Standing: An Amputee’s Story of Hope, a seven-chapter account of her battle with cancer, the amputation, the heavy emotional toll, and ultimately, the resilience that continues to carry her forward.
Today, Ana is determined to use her story to inspire others facing illness, loss, and uncertainty.
“If the reason I went through all of this is so I can be a blessing to someone else, then it was worth it,” she said.
“I may be an amputee, but I can do so many things … I can run. I can live. I can help others. And I enjoy life and I will keep going.”
Ana’s journey isn’t over. Though she still faces pain and daily challenges, she also knows she has a purpose: to spread hope, one conversation, one book, one person at a time.
And through it all, she’s still standing.
Ana Reyes’s book is published in Spanish and English and is available on Amazon, Walmart, and Barnes & Noble.
